Dyslexia
by L'Angleterre
Summary: Squinting at the spidery writing on the chalkboard across the room, Nico growled as the letters switched again, rendering the entire step illegible. Slytherin First Year Nico struggles to read the steps in Potions - but his Head of House isn't in the House of the astute for nothing. Two-shot ft. the infamous flying lesson.
1. Potions

Squinting at the spidery writing on the chalkboard across the room, Nico growled as the letters switched again, rendering the entire step illegible. He sighed, throwing in a handful of the same stuff Blaise was currently adding to his cauldron. As the concoction went an uncomfortable shade of pale green (a far cry from the shimmery grey it was supposed to be), he decided it was a lost cause.

Upon receiving his Hogwarts letter, he was delighted that he'd finally get to leave the _Lotus Orphanage_ \- it hadn't been the same there since his big sister had died. The staff had been equally glad to see the back of him, and he disappeared off, not to return until the summer holidays. The classes were, for the most part, as exciting as they sounded. Care of Magical Creatures - although the animals generally hated him; Transfiguration, which was challenging yet rewarding, not to mention Divination, Charms and Herbology.

Nico's downfall, however, was Potions.

He knew how to read, despite the taunting of Ron Weasley and his cohort, but the letters just wouldn't stay still. He'd originally attributed it to the magic. After all, if paintings and photos could move, why not words? Yet, no one else experienced the issues he did. Draco, for example, was excellent at Potions. He'd explained that as long as you followed Professor Snape's instructions, the potion would be fine. He'd also tagged onto the end that that was why the Mudblood Granger was acceptable at Potions - his words, not Nico's.

Chewing on his lip as time was called, Nico bottled his potion and trudged to the front of the class, where Potter's potion was vanished by the Slytherin Head of House. Nico was the last potion left, and virtually all of the other students had left, with the exception of Theodore Nott, who hovered by the doorway to wait for Nico.

'What do you call this, di Angelo?' Snape asked, voice soft but lacking the malice usually aimed at the Gryffindors. Nico's glance dropped down to the table as he shrugged. Readjusting the glasses that really did nothing to help, he finally glanced back up when Snape didn't continue, and was surprised to see the oddest expression on his face.

Concern?

'Sorry,' he muttered, fidgeting with the edge of his robes as Snape continued to stare at him, searching. Nico finally realised that Professor Snape was using legilimency on him, and promptly slammed up his occlumency walls.

'Impressive,' was the muttered response. 'It isn't ineptitude, then. Please explain what the problem is, di Angelo, unless invoking my... displeasure... is your ultimate aim.'

'The words move,' he blurted in response. 'I can't read them. I can't read the steps.' He could sense the confusion from both Snape and Theodore. Taking his glasses off, he presented them to his Head of House. 'Madame Pomfrey gave me these, but they don't help.'

After a quiet moment examining the black framed glasses, Professor Snape muttered a spell and handed them back to Nico. Hesitant, he put them back on.

'Italian,' he murmured, face shifting into a smile for the first time since arriving. In his native language, the words didn't move around half as much. Perhaps he wouldn't fail Potions and DADA after all. 'Thanks Professor Snape.'

'A temporary fix,' was the drawled reply. 'We'll talk more about this later with Madame Pomfrey.' Grateful to finally be able to see the class (so that was how many porcupine quills he was supposed to add!) he beamed at Professor Snape, before dashing off to Theodore to dinner.


	2. Flying

With the new enchantment on his glasses, Nico's Potions grades shot up from somewhere in the "Poor" region, to teetering on the "Exceeds Expectations" and "Outstanding" border. The block text - now in Italian - was broken up and enlarged before his eyes. Now, he didn't have to mimic whatever Blaise added to his potion - which was never too wise. While it didn't significantly impact on his other, more practical based lessons, Nico's attitude towards them had certainly improved.

The only problem he now faced was that Ron Weasley had stolen his glasses in their first flying lesson, and he was doomed to failure if they broke.

'Scared, di Angelo?' the redhead taunted from his position on the broom, several metres above his head. When Neville had fallen on him, knocking his glasses flying, he'd assumed it was some kind of Gryffindor conspiracy. It soon became clear that it was not. It was merely the universe plotting to bring about disaster.

Nico was not especially skilled at flying. The broom had taken several angry shouts of "UP!" before flinching up into his hand. He'd managed to hover for a few moments - until Neville fell on top of him at least. Pansy had tormented the Gryffindor girls, and Draco had seized Neville's fallen remembrall, before Nico snatched it out of his hands. Merlin only knew what the blonde had been planning to do with that.

It had taken him several moments to notice that his glasses were missing, but no time at all to locate them in the greasy hands of Ronald Weasley, whose grip was causing the arms to bend too far. At that point, he considered chucking the glowing red orb in his hand at Ron's big fat head. While he was stewing, he didn't even notice Ron kick off on his broom, nor did he realise that Draco had shot off after him. Granger was fully useless on a broom, and stood worrying at the edge. Meanwhile, Potter looked half-inclined to jump back onto his.

'Catch them then, Death Eater!' the Gryffindor shouted, throwing his precious glasses in the direction of the Whomping Willow. Nico was aware that there was no chance they'd actually travel the several hundred feet between them, but felt his gut drop anyway - the fall would surely shatter them.

He finally lost his temper, and lobbed the remembrall at Ron's head.

To his surprise, two things happened then. Draco went into a nosedive for his glasses - why on earth he'd risk breaking every bone in his body for a pair of glasses, he didn't know. At the same time, Potter was on his broom and racing towards the quickly falling remembrall. The girl Pansy had mocked was squealing in horror; he suddenly saw why his classmate had started slinging insults her way.

After a tense moment, Draco swept back up through the air, holding Nico's glasses in one hand. His expression of triumph quickly morphed into one of disbelief and fear. Nico spun on his heels to see their Head of House storming towards them like a bat out of Tartarus, with Professor McGonnagall hot on his heels. Draco dismounted and handed Nico his glasses back, before he and Potter were frogmarched back inside. Nico could only wonder what was going to happen to them.

Well, until he saw Draco at lunch, at least.


End file.
